Gothenburg -- The 4-day discussions of the Nordic Baltic Rainbow Network at the giant Gothenburg Book Fair and the nearby Museum of World Culture between September 27-30, 2007 in this west coast Swedish city launched enthusiastic plans to increase rainbow co-operation across the Baltic Sea.

*This was a real boost to the work both of the Nordic Rainbow Council and the Swedish Pol-Baltic Network,* says Bill Schiller of the council and of the conference*s co-organizer, Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers). *Thanks to financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Baltic Unit in Visby on Gotland, we were able to bring colleagues from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for concrete, face-to face discussions on how we can build permanent rainbow bridges in the future,* Schiller adds.

Expanding Rainbow Co-operation to Others

Discussions covered increasing information exchange between Network members, developments in arranging Prides (still banned in Lithuania) and other rainbow activities in each country involved, increasing efforts to encourage all Prides to include a Nordic Baltic rainbow seminar or other events as well as using rainbow culture as a powerful complement to the political struggle.

The network will also be open to continuing support from the humanist movement to help combat religious intolerance and take active steps to increase co-operation with other colleagues living in such countries as Russia and the Eastern European dictatorship of Belarus as well as the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

The attendance at some of the discussions of two gay activists from Singapore - where printed magazines and cultural exhibits on homosexuality are banned - indicated the enormous value of keeping such discussions open even to enthusiastic *outsiders.* The Singapore gays have joined the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) and are eager for co-operation with the Nordic Baltic Rainbow Network.

Double Program at Book Fair, Museum

Through strong co-operation with the book fair*s *International Square.* * joining 65 Swedish solidarity groups together,* Network colleagues were given several chances to reach the public through speeches and panel presentations at the main and smaller stages about the rainbow struggle in the region as well as from their information stand.

Blogg in Action, Next Meeting & Cultural Evening Set for Stockholm

Delegates in Gothenburg agreed to share the work load with the following:

tisdag 31 juli 2007

Our steering committee member has died in a tragic highway accident on her way to an international feminist motorcycle rally in Germany.

Rita was a dynamic and enthusiastic member of a number of LGBT organizations in Sweden and was a pioneer of rainbow culture and international LGBT solidarity * especially promoting the rights and dignity of immigrant women in Sweden.

The American-born Rita was perhaps most widely known for her years-long English*language program on Stockholm Gay Radio * “Leaping Lesbians” * where she combined the serious and the humorous, the cultural and the political, the Swedish and the global, the private and the universal.

Stockholm – International rainbow solidarity across Nordic borders and beyond -- and the use of rainbow culture as a powerful weapon against intolerance, homophobia and invisibility –are the themes of this the 10th Moonbow international culture & human rights festival in Stockholm July 29-August 5 during Pride week.

“We are very pleased to have the co-operation of the Romanian Culture Institute to enable two activists from Bucharest to attend our festival …and to have the support of Canadian labor union CUPE to bring a composer/ musician from Toronto to this 10th anniversary festival,” says Bill Schiller of Tupilak(Nordic rainbow cultural workers) and the ILGCN (International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network) Information Secretariat in Stockholm.

“We’re also very glad to have Iranians in exile hosting a seminar on the worsening situation for homosexuals in Iran, and to have private support to bring an Italian performer, Italian graphic art and Italian video art to this year’s Moonbow,” he adds. “Our low-budget Moonbow festivals were launched to boost international awareness and rainbow culture -- without high price tags and open to everyone.”

A traditional Moonbow supporter, the Nordic Rainbow Council will host a festival seminar on the coming conference on Baltic rainbow co-operation at the giant Gothenberg Book Fair and at the Museum of World Culture this September in that west coast Swedish city (including delegates from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). ‘Another supporter, Nordic Rainbow Humanists, will participate in a seminar on boosting Nordic co-operation and confronting the fierce homophobic attitudes of religious institutions – especially in our eastern Baltic neighbors and in Russia and Belarus.

Starting with the Tupilak/ILGCN art exhibition vernissage on Sunday afternoon July 29, the week-long festival will take place at Galleri CaféAguéli(Blecktornsgränd 9, Mariatorget).On Saturday, August 4 a festival cultural evening and award ceremony will take place at Musik Valvet(Gamla Stan, Kåkbrinken 5 Entré!).

fredag 15 juni 2007

Vilnius -- Art, photography, music, song, films and discussions were part of the successful 1st stage of this year's ILGCN(International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world rainbow cultural conference May 24-25 in the Lithuanian capital – part of the week-long pioneering Rainbow Days event.

The international gathering sharply protested the decisions of the Vilnius authorities to ban the planned display of a rainbow flag in the heart of the city, the unprecedented refusal to allow a travelling, European Union-supported anti-discrimination information bus to visit the city, and the banning of EU-supported rainbow campaign posters on the city's trolley buses – containing the words that "a gay can be a policeman" and "a lesbian can be a teacher."

Anna Gavriolova, Elena Mosalova (Belarus LGBT Amnesty)

"This puts Vilnius in the same homo-phobic pot as Moscow, Minsk, Chisenau and

Teheran when it comes to rainbow rights and cultural diversity – instead of with other European Union members," says Bill Schiller, secretary general of the ILGCN Information Secretar-iat in Stockholm. "When political and religious authorities outlaw rainbows and love, they forfeit their right to talk future to generations … they turn their back on democracy and human rights, and strangle a rich cultural heritage now blooming in so many other cities around the world."

Lithuanians, ILGCN co-ordinator Arvydas Vogilis

Special guests at the conference from Minsk described the continuing difficulties of arranging rainbow events in Belarus-- the last dictatorship of Eastern Europe -- and the crucial importance of maintaining international contact with other colleagues.

Emphasizing the enormous importance of films for the visibility of rainbow communities and the ability to reach beyond national borders, the conference approved the creation of a new ILGCN Rainbow Film Secretariat for films and film festivals, based in Riga.

The conference also discussed plans to increase Baltic rainbow collaboration with the 2nd session of the Nordic Rainbow Council in September 27-30 in the Swedish west coast city of Gothenberg, and the 2nd stage of the Nordic Rainbow Humanist session in the same city.

2007 ILGCN Grizzly Bear awards – honoring those fighting especially ferocious homophobia -- were approved for the organizers of Pride and rainbow events in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. This year's Clio's Silver Cup award for outstanding LGBT history and documentation went to the "VolunteersOver Borders" in the Belarus city of Gomel

ILGCN Rainbow Film Secretariat

Special greetings were received by the Vilniusconference from the organizers of the 2nd stage of the 2007 ILGCN world rainbow cultural conference in Toronto (scheduled for June 20 and part of Pride Toronto) – with special focus on Iranians in exile and the increasingly dangerous homophobia in Iran with whippings, arrests and executions.

fredag 18 maj 2007

Stockholm * Discussions on "rainbow culture on the barricades, music and song, art and films were the focus of a gathering in the Swedish capital on May 16 * the eve of the International Day Against Homophobia marking the May 17th anniversary of the WHO's abolishment of the "sickness" lable for homosexuality.

The Stockholm event included song and musicians from such performing artists as Jenny Gabrielsson and Peter Fröberg, documentary films from Belarus, international same-sex dance competitions and Stockholm Gay Choir's 25-year history, gay CD music from Estonia and elsewhere, as well as discussions of "rainbows in chains and under siege" in Eastern Europe * and the coming ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) culture conference in Vilnius May 24-25.

ILGCN/Tupilak Travelling Art Exhibit

"We were proud to launch our travelling art exhibit starting off with works from Sweden, Lithuania, Finland and Norway for fund-raising for colleagues on the Eastern European barricades, says Bill Schiller of the ILGCN and Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers).

The cultural gathering took place at the downtown offices of the NBV educational organization and was organized by ILGCN, Tupilak, Nordic Rainbow Council and the Nordic Rainbow Humanists .

torsdag 15 mars 2007

Our travelling Tupilak/Nordic Rainbow Council Art & Photo Exhibition -- "Freedom Images" is under preparation for display both in Stockholm and other Nordic cities at rainbow, moonbow and other events.

YOU are cordially invited to join in with your work! (No limits on subject material!)

The aim is to illustrate our wide cultural diversity across international borders AND to collect funds for our rainbow cultural solidarity co-operation within the Nordic region and beyond.

The work is to be offered for sale (at prices stipulated by the artist) with 50% of the profits going to the artist and 50% to our solidarity fund.

Preliminary "Freedom Images" schedule:

Stockholm Moonbow Fund-Raising Festival -- spring

Vilnius May 24-25 (at the first ILGCN world cultural conference stage in 2007)

tisdag 27 februari 2007

Member of the Nordic Rainbow Council & ILGCN(International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network)

PRESS RELEASE February 27, 2007

2007 Cabarets, Art Exhibits, Film Screenings, Seminars:

TUPILAK LAUNCHES NORDIC, EAST EUROPEAN EVENTS

Stockholm – The newly-elected Tupilak steering committee and Nordic contact network (see website) plans a series of rainbow and moonbow cultural events in Sweden, in the Nordic region and beyond during the coming year – especially with colleagues on the barricades under attack in the Eastern Baltic and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

”Our Nordic priorities this year will be in solidarity with a Riga still fighting to lift the ban on its Pride, Vilnius facing intensifying hostility from the church and parliament, pioneering Nordic events in the Faeroe Islands with its brand-new anti-discrimination legislation and the Åland Islands, and a return of Nordic rainbow flags to the giant Gothenburg Book Fair – the biggest cultural event in the Nordic area,” says the new chairman, Bill Schiller.

”Our efforts in Eastern Europe this year will be to strengthen our rainbow bridges to Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Bucharest, hopefully initiate projects in Istanbul and support ”events in exile” with our badly-harassed colleagues in Eastern Europe’s last dictatorship – Belarus,” Schiller adds. ”We hope new members in Sweden and throughout the Nordic region will want to join us in these new efforts to work together

to use rainbow culture at a weapon against homophobia and silence both at home and abroad.”

More Moonbows over Stockholm in 2007

Stockholm events are to include the annual Moonbow cultural festival with cabaret performances, music and dance, art and photo exhibits, a series of seminars about Nordic rainbows cultural co-operation spanning the Baltic Sea and beyond, the Nordic short film festival, and a series of informal, cultural get-together with Swedish and visiting cultural personalities.

Tupilak also pledges to send representatives to the annual sessions of the Nordic Rainbow Council and the Nordic Rainbow Humanists – this year both taking place on May 18 as part of the first stage of the ILGCN’s (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) world cultural conference in the Lithuanian capital.*************************